Sunday Synth Jam: This video, via DearbornJohn, captures a live performance, featuring the classic ARP 2600 analog synthesizer, sounds of Lake Michigan and a variety of other synths.
Here’s what he has to say about the song, In My Beginning:
Two young Lovers strolling on a desolate Lake Michigan beach are taken in by the beauty of the land and the heat of the moment. The rest is history;)
In memory of Mom and Dad.
John is clearly someone who justifies his synths. It was a great jam for its own sake and could easily be expanded if he wanted to go “bigger,” but I can nod to the intimacy of it and call it good. Very classy.
Thank you! I’m a big believe in trying to bring a performance to the viewer to help them see what may go into a manually ( non-computer generated ) created song.
Its an interesting line to consider. Watching someone play keyboards is a lot like watching paint dry and if you “rock out,” people often start making rude comments about keytars and the like, heh heh. The only defense against it is fortunately also the point: to banish all of that with a good sound. I’d also have to wear a Daft Punk helmet, because I look like Hellboy with a hangover.
I consider it interesting to watch musicians playing, your line about paint drying maybe in respect to your playing if you actually play a instrument, but a good musician will always get my attention as well as others.
Some very nice playing.
Fighissimo!!!
Very nice!! Can i ask something? At 5:10 you start a very dreamy arpegio…What chords do you use there?
Sure,Cm,Am,F4th,G4th,Cm,Am,F4th,G4th,Cm,Am,Gflat,G if anymore questions you can reach me at Dearbornjohn on YouTube, Happy Synthing!
Nicely done. Funny enough, I think the best timbres in the piece come from the MicroKorg XL! People talk a lot of yang on the MKs, but I’ve recorded stuff with them that is on par with synths costing thousands of dollars, and you have to!
People often talk about how VAs have trouble cutting through a mix, but here we can see and hear definitive proof that that is not the case.
It all comes down to how the artist uses the tools at his or her disposal, and you use your tools well.
Personally, on this song I liked the sounds from the Yamaha MOX8, panshere and the harp and Ooovoices. I agree with Daniel on the Micro Korg XL some excellent sounds also but each synth had it’s own work cut out for it. The only thing negative I could say about the Korg is I wish they would put regular size keys on it. Nobody noticed the analog birds from the ARP 2600. I have gotten so many questions about the 2600 that in the near future I will be doing a tutorial on it that I hope will give a better understanding to the viewer why the ARP 2600 is such a highly respected synth also some of the downsides none the less I still enjoy using it.
Loved the vintage gear, but loved the great soundscape even better!
Nice performance!
great performance. joy division shirt ++ hendrix pic ++
Thank You JT and Justin!
Looks like fun!
The fun part is when it’s done and you can look back and enjoy the finished product after the work is done. Creating this song presented new challenges having to create a melodic line that rolled with the tempo of the waves is something different for me.